Rox Resources' (ASX: RXL) drilling program at its Fisher East nickel sulphide discovery has produced generally higher grade and thicker nickel intercepts than previously logged, with widths of up to 20 metres and grades up to 3% nickel.
The prospect forms part of the Mt Fisher Project, 450 kilometres north of Kalgoorlie, where Rox has previously focused on gold exploration.
Reverse circulation drilling returned a thick intersection of 20 metres at 1.1% nickel from 159 metres, including 6 metres at 1.4% nickel and 5 metres at 1.5% nickel.
Other noteworthy intersections include 3 metres at 1.3% nickel from 130 metres, including 2 metres at 1.6% nickel; 4 metres at 2% nickel from 212 metres; 3 metres at 1.7% nickel from 152 metres, including 2 metres at 2.2% nickel; and 1 metre at 3% nickel from 147 metres.
Ian Mulholland, managing director, commented: "These results confirm a significant new nickel sulphide discovery at Fisher East, which we believe has the potential to be a very large system.
"We will be following up these results quickly with more drilling and EM surveys to identify new conductors on our tenements."
Reverse circulation drilling by Rox in December 2012 intersected nickel-bearing semi-massive and strongly disseminated sulphides in all five holes drilled at the Camelwood prospect, covering a strike length of 300 metres and up to 200 metres vertical depth.
The system is open in all directions, with only the top part interpreted to have been drilled at this stage.
Mineralogical work on a single sample from the hole that returned the intercept of 1 metre at 3% nickel indicates relatively coarse-grained supergene (partially oxidised) nickel sulphide mineralisation.
The mineralisation is comprised of violarite and pyrite as the dominant minerals, and subordinate magnetite and chalcopyrite.
Violarite is usually the supergene product of pentlandite, which is expected to occur deeper in the system.
Arsenic and antimony, both potential deleterious elements, levels are low, and platinum group elements have yet to be determined.
Exploration plan
Rox will now begin the next stage of exploration which will include further ground electro-magnetic surveys and deeper diamond core drilling once ground clearances have been received.
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